Removable pocketed curtains for garment-carrying bags



l. R. KATZ April 25, 1967 REMOVABLE POCKETED CURTAINS .F'O'R GARMENT-CARRYING BAGS Filed 00.17. l2; 1965 -INVENTOR IRA R. KATZ ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,315,772 REMOVABLE POCKETED CURTAINS FOR GARMENT-CARRYHNG BAGS Ira R. Katz, Nashvilie, Tenn., assigner to Hartmann Luggage Company, Lebanon, Tenn., a corporation of Delaware Fied Oct. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 495,210 6 Claims. (Cl. 1911-43) This invention relates to improvements in removable pocketed curtains for garment-carrying bags, and more particularly to a removable curtain for that portion of la carrier or bag which houses full-length garments in their suspended full-length condition, the carrier or bag being of the type which is foldable medially upon itself for hand-carrying purposes.

In recent years the type of flexible garment-carrying bag for full-length garments which can be hung in outstretched condition from a hook or support in an automobile, Pullman cornpartment, closet, or on a door to enclose full-length garments with a minimum of wrinkling, has been popular with the traveling public. Customarily, these garment-carrying bags are also arranged so that when they are to be manually carried they may be folded medially upon themselves and grasped by a handle in the manner of an ordinary suitcase or piece of hand luggage. In the outstretched condition of the bag, one end wall thereof, which becomes the top wall, has mounted on its inner face trolleys and hangers for the suspension of the fulllength garments which are enveloped by the walls of the bag. In said conventional type of garment-carrying bag, access to the inner confines wherein the full-length garments are housed is afforded by a full-length opening in that portion of the bag which is the front when the bag is outstretched, with said full-length opening, in conventional structures, being normally closed by a curtain secured permanently along one margin to the fabric of the bag thereadjacent, the other margins of the curtain being associated with the bag wall portions surrounding the opening by hookless fastener means. Consequently, when said hookless fastener means are released, the curtain may be dropped or deflected to expose the opening for access into the main compartment of the bag, but the curtain remains permanently attached to the bag along one margin. Also, in said conventional garment-carrying bags auxiliary pockets used for the storage of smaller articles of wearing apparel and miscellaneous traveling equipment are sometimes detachably affixed to spaced-apart face portions of the curtain by hardware, and all walls of said pockets are fabricated from material independent of that of the underlying curtain.

In the conventional garment-carrying bags of the type above descirbed, the curtain, with the independent removable pockets, because of the weight of the additional hardware required for the pocket snaps or attaching means, adds considerable weight and bulkiness to the curtain and to the complete bag and the pockets protrude and intefrere with manipulation. Also, in the conventional structures when access to the full length garment cavity is required, the attached closure curtain must be carefully handled and rolled or folded down so as to eX- pose the opening.

With the above in mind it is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide, in a garmentcarrying bag, a removable pocketed closure curtain for the full length garment cavity of the bag, with the outer face of the curtain being formed with spaced-apart article storage pockets permanently affixed to the curtain and having certain wall portions which are common to the curtain, thereby eliminating the weight of additional material and hardware.

A further specific object of the invention is to provide,

3,315,772 Patented Apr. 25, 1967 in a garment-carrying bag of the character described, an elongated curtain which is completely removably associated with the wall portions of the bag surrounding the access opening to the full length garment cavity to permit the complete removal of the curtain from the bag for convenience in storage or packing, the upper end portion of said curtain also being provided with an adjustable hanger to engage the bag trolleys when the curtain is secured in its closing position or to permit the hanging of the pocketed curtain in an outstretched position from an elevated support in a room or closet.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a garment-carrying bag of the character described, a pocketed closure curtain which is completely remoable from the bag when desired and which may be folded medially upon itself to adapt it to be independently used or carried by a traveler for short trips for the protective carrying of suits, dresses or other full length garments and other traveling equipment in the curtain pockets.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a garment-carrying bag of the character described, a removable pocketed curtain for the full length garment cavity of the bag, with said curtain having affixed to its upper end portion a hanger normally engaging the garment bag trolleys, whereby the weight of the curtain and the lled pockets thereon is borne by the trolleys and not by the hookless fasteners which connect the curtain to the bag walls, this arrangement relieving the hookless fasteners of undue strain, particularly when the curtain is being unfastened and released, said arrangement being such that the curtain will remain in outstretched position supported from the trolley and its hanger even when the hookless fastener means are detached, thereby preventing the curtain and its associated parts from falling in a haphazard manner in a heap at the feet of the user.

A further object of the invention is to provide a garment-carrying bag with a removable pocketed curtain which is of very simple construction, is strong and durable, is easy to manipulate and use, `which decreases the overall weight of the garment-carrying bag, `which poclieted curtain has utility, both in its bag associated condition and independently thereof, and which is otherwise well adapted for the purposes described.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of the improved removable pocketed curtain for garment-carrying bags, and its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

In the laccompanying drawing, in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the views:

FiG. 1 is an end and side perspective view of the garment-carrying bag provided with the improved removable pocketed curtain, the bag being shown hung from a support in its outstretched full length condition;

FiG. 2 is an end and side perspective view of the pocketed curtain shown removed from the bag and supported in its full length outstretched condition;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken approximately along the line 3 3 -of FIG. l1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken approximately along the line `till of FIG. 1.

It should be understood that the present invention is concerned primarily with a removable pocketed curtain adapted for association with a garment-carrying bag -of the type generally disclosed in the Ritter Patent No. 2,702,105 of Feb. 15, 1955. It will 'be unnecessary, therefore, to describe the bag 7 in detail, other than to state that it is of a flexible type adapted to accommodate full length garments. The bag, when hung from a hook or elevated support in an automobil-e or Pullman compartment or closet, or when engaged with a door top, maybe suspended in the outstretched full length condition shown in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings. For-hand transportation, the bag is arranged to be folded medially upon itself in the manner shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 of said Ritter Patent No. 2,702,105. As in said Ritter patent, the transverse median of the bag is provided with a carrying handle 9. Also, straps and buckles 11, or similar securing means, are provided to releasably hold the companion sections of the bag in folded-upon-itself relationship when the bag is to be manually carried.

One end 4wall of the bag is adapted to be the top when the `bag is in its full length, outstretched condition shown in FIG. 1. Said end of the bag is preferably reinforced and carries a universally movable shanked hook 12 which, in the outstretched condition of the bag shown in FIG. l, is adapted to engage an elevated support, closet pole, door edge, or the like. The inner surface of said reinforced end wall of the bag has depending therefrom slidable trolleys 13 to which access is afforded through the enlarged opening in the front wall of the bag which is controlled by the removable pocketed curtain generally indicated by the numeral 14 and which will be described more fully hereinafter. The large main compartment 15 within the garment-carrying bag, which is normally closed by the detachable, removable pocketed curtain 14, is adapted to house full-length garments such as dresses and suits, which are customarily mounted on hangers (not shown) engaged with the trolleys 13.

The fabric front wall 19 of the outstretched bag has in the major extent of its face said opening which affords access to the full-length garment compartment 15. This opening is elongated and is shaped to correspond with the shape of the pocketed curtain 14 shown in detail in its outstretched -condition in FIG. 2. The pocketed curtain 14 has substantial `breadth as appears from FIG. 2, and the entire perimeter of the face fabric 23 of the pocketed curtain 14 and the surrounding perimeter of the bag wall 19 in which the elongated opening for the curtain is dened carry complementary hookless fastener tracks 2t) which are traversed by a conventional hookless fastener slide element 21. A lower marginal portion of the track 20 on the curtain member 14 also carries a connector 22 adapted, when the curtain 14 is in the mounted condition shown in FIG. 1, to be engaged with a track-carried pin (not shown) on the adjacent complementary track portion carried by the bag front wall fabric 19, all as is common with hookless or slide fastener structures. The fabric forming the front wall 23 of the pocketed curtain 14 is provided with pockets 16, 17 and 1S, respectively, shown in FIG. 2, which are controlled by fabric pocket flaps 24, 25 and 26, respectively, all releasably associated with the adjacent marginal portions of the curtain wall fabric 23 by conventional hookless fastener 'means Z7, 28 and 29. The pocket closing flaps 24, 25 and 26 all lie, when secured in closing position, in the plane of the fabric wall 23 of the curtain structure. Thus, it will be seen that the front walls of the 4auxiliary pockets 16, 17 and 18 in the curtain are fiush with and are substantially continuations of the fabric forming the front wall 23 of the pocketed curtain. To give depth to the pockets 116, 17 and 18 lan inner sheet of fa'bric is arranged as is shown -in FIG. 3, said arrangement libeing slightly exaggerated to show the depth of the pockets.

Bri-dgin-g the t-op of the pocketed curtain 14 is a stiffening Icollar 31 to the inner edge of which is connected the upper -margin of said inner fabric sheet 30. TO define the bottom of the top pocket 16 the fabric is drawn forwardly and secured to the fabric wall 23, as at 32 in FIG. 3. Then said inner fabric sheet 30 again -goes inwardly to define the inner Wall of the pocket 17 and its lower margin is secured lto the fabric wall 19, as at 32. From thence the fabric 3) again goes inwardly to define the inner wall of the lower pocket 18 and its lower extremity is brought forward and secured to the fabric wall 23, as at 34. Secured to the top of the curved reinforcing collar 31 on the curtain structure is a pivotally mounted hook 3S. When the curtain structure 14 is mounted within the bag said hook 35 is de- ;tacha'bly engaged with one of the trolleys 13 and thus supports the pocketed curtain in proper position, relieving the hookless fastener means 20 and 21 of undue strain. When the curtain structure is un-zipped and is bodily removed from the bag 7, the curtain-carried hook 35 may be engaged with a closet pole, or other elevated support, as in FIG. 2, rendering the packing and unpacking of the pockets 16, 17 and 18 very convenient.

As was mentioned heretofore, the complete garmentcarrying bag 7, when packed and ready for transportation, can be folded medially upon itself and secured in the manner shown in said prior Ritter Patent No. 2,702,105 by the straps 10 and buckles 11, in which event the carrying handle 9 is utilized. 0n the other hand, the bag may be opened out and suspended in its full length condition in the manner shown in FIG. 1. The latter is the position which the bag should assume when it is being used in a Pullman compartment, hotel room, or other location where it is desired to have the bag outstretched for packing or unpacking purposes.

To gain access to the large compartment 15 within the bag, in which full length garments are disposed on hangers depended from the trolleys 13, it is merely necessary to release the hookless fastener means Ztl-21 around the entire perimeter of the pocketed curtain structure 14. In so doing no strain is imposed on the hookless fastener means because the curtain structure 14 is at this time supported from a trolley 13 by its hanger 35 and Will not fall in a haphazard manner. The auxiliary pockets in the curtain 14, certain wall portions of which are common with the fabric of the curtain, may be opened by means of the hookless fastener means 27, 28 and 29, respectively, said auxiliary pockets being designed to carry small articles of wearing apparel and traveling paraphernalia.

While in conventional structures the auxiliary pockets on the closure curtain are customarily bodily removable for convenience in packing and require hardware for their remove. le association, in the present invention the auxiliary pockets are at all times integral with the fabric of the curtain structure 14, but the entire pocketed curtain structure may be bodily removed from the bag 7 for convenience in storage or packing and unpacking, and it may conveniently be mounted in a closet or on a support in a room or compartment, as is shown in FIG. 2, or it may be stored in a dresser or closet drawer. The pocketed curtain 14 shown in FIG. 2, detached from the bag 7, may also be utilized by itself by a traveler for short trips and can be carried in a conveyance outstretched or it can be folded medially upon itself.

The improved pocketed curtain, which eliminates layers of fabric because of the incorporation of the auxiliary pockets in the face fabric of the curtain and which also eliminate hardware, is lighter and less bulky than the curtains in conventional bags of this type wherein the pockets are bodily removable. The improved removable pocketed curtain is incorporated in a conventional garment-carrying bag in a very neat and efficient manner, is convenient to use and manipulate either associated with the bag or independently thereof, eliminates objections inherent in conventional structures, and is otherwise well adapted for the purposes described.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. A flexible garment-carrying bag for full length garments and of the type to be suspended in outstretched condition or folded medially upon itself for hand transportation, comprising generally rectangular secured-together face and end walls to form an envelope-like enclosure, an elongated opening being formed in one of the face walls of the bag to afford access to the interior thereof, a flexible curtain for normally closing said access opening and conforming generally to the size and contour of said opening, and hookless fastener means connecting the entire periphery of said curtain with the periphery of the said face wall surrounding the opening therein which when secured disposes the curtain substantially in the plane of said face wall of the bag and which when released permits the complete detachment of the curtain from said bag face Wall for disposition remote therefrom, the curtain being formed with pockets wherein certain walls of the pockets are flush With and common to the face of the curtain.

2. A flexible garment-carrying bag for full length garments and of the type to be suspended in outstretched condition or folded medially upon itself for hand transportation, comprising generally rectangular secured-together face and end Walls to form an envelope-like enclosure, an elongated opening being formed in one of the face Walls of the bag to afford access to the interior thereof, a flexible curtain for normally closing said access opening and conforming generally to the size and contour of said opening, hookless fastener means connecting the entire periphery of said curtain with the periphery of said face Wall which surrounds the opening therein, said hookless :fastener means when released permitting the complete detachment and removal of the curtain from said b-ag face Wall, an inner flexible sheet secured at spaced positions to said curtain to provide the inner Walls of curtain pockets, and pocket flaps severably connected With the curtain to control access to said pockets.

3. A flexible garment-carrying bag for full length garments and of the type to be suspended in outstretched condition or folded medially upon itself for hand transportation, comprising generally rectangular secured-together face and end Walls to` form an envelope-like enclosure, an elongated opening being formed in one of the face Walls of the bag to afford access to the interior thereof, a flexible curtain for normally closing said access opening and conforming generally to the size and contour of said opening, said curtain having an end portion, means connecting the entire periphery of said curtain with the portion of said bag face Wall which surrounds the opening therein Which when released permits the complete detachment of the curtain from said bag face Wall for disposition remote therefrom, the curtain being formed with flap controlled pockets, and a hanger carried by said end portion of the curtain for mounting the curtain in suspended outstretched condition Within the bag or for hanging it on a support disassociated from the bag.

4. In a garment carrier for full length garments and of the type to be suspended in outstretched condition or folded medially upon itself for hand transportation, an envelope-like bag formed of secured-together Walls including a face wall having an elongated opening therein to afford access to the interior of the bag, hanger depending means mounted Within an end portion of the bag, an envelope-like flexible curtain for normally closing said access opening and conforming generally to the size and contour of said opening, said curtain having a top Wall, hookless fastener means detachably connecting the entire periphery of said curtain with the periphery of the said bag face Wall surrounding the opening therein which when secured disposes the curtain substantially in the plane of said face wall of the bag and which when released permits the complete detachment of the curtain from said bag face wall for disposition remote therefrom, the curtain being formed with integral pockets, and stifening means carried by the top Wall of the curtain and giving breadth to the curtain and to its integral pockets.

5. In a garment carrier for full length garments and of the type to be suspended in outstretched condition or folded medially upon itself for hand transportation, an envelope-like bag formed of secured-together Walls including a face wall having an elongated opening therein to afford access to the interior of the bag, hanger depending means mounted Within an end portion of the bag, an envelope-like flexible curtain for normally closing said access opening and conforming generally to the size and contour of said opening, said curtain having a top Wall, hcokless fastener means detachably connecting the entire periphery of said curtain with the periphery of the said bag face wall surrounding the opening therein which when secured disposes the curtain substantially in the plane of said face wall of the bag and which when released permits the complete detachment of the curtain from said bag face Wall for disposition remote therefrom, the curtain being formed with integral pockets, stiffening means carried by the top wall of the curtain and giving breadth to the curtain and to its integral pockets, and an upwardly projecting hook carried by said stiffening means and engageable with the hanger means within the bag to suspend the pocketed curtain relative to the bag and relieve strain on said hookless fastener means when the same are engaged.

6. The combination with a flexible garment-carrying bag for full length garments and of the type to be suspended in outstretched condition or folded medially upon itself for hand transportation, and including securedtogether flexible Walls to form an envelope-like enclosure With one of the Walls having an elongated access opening therein and an interior portion of another Wall carrying hanger suspending means, a pocketed flexible curtain having means thereon to removably suspend it from the hanger suspending means of the bag, and means for completely detachably connecting the periphery of the curtain to the bag Wall in closing relation to the access opening therein, the flexible curtain when detached and completely removed from the bag being useable as a garment container in outstretched condition or in the condition of being medially folded upon itself.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,637,424 5/1953 Duskin 190-43 2,702,105 2/ 1955 Ritter 190-43 2,774,450 12/1956 Smallberg 190-43 FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner. 

1. A FLEXIBLE GARMENT-CARRYING BAG FOR FULL LENGTH GARMENTS AND OF THE TYPE TO BE SUSPENDED IN OUTSTRETCHED CONDITION OR FOLDED MEDIALLY UPON ITSELF FOR HAND TRANSPORTATION, COMPRISING GENERALLY RECTANGULAR SECURED-TOGETHER FACE AND END WALLS TO FORM AN ENVELOPE-LIKE ENCLOSURE, AN ELONGATED OPENING BEING FORMED IN ONE OF THE FACE WALLS OF THE BAG TO AFFORD ACCESS TO THE INTERIOR THEREOF, A FLEXIBLE CURTAIN FOR NORMALLY CLOSING SAID ACCESS OPENING AND CONFORMING GENERALLY TO THE SIZE AND CONTOUR OF SAID OPENING, AND HOOKLESS FASTENER MEANS CONNECTING THE ENTIRE PERIPHERY OF SAID CURTAIN WITH THE PERIPHERY OF THE SAID FACE WALL SURROUNDING THE OPENING THEREIN WHICH WHEN SECURED DISPOSES THE CURTAIN SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE PLANE OF SAID FACE WALL OF THE BAG AND WHICH WHEN RELEASED PERMITS THE COMPLETE DETACHMENT OF THE CURTAIN FROM SAID BAG FACE WALL FOR DISPOSITION REMOTE THEREFROM, THE CURTAIN BEING FORMED WITH POCKETS WHEREIN CURTAIN WALLS OF THE POCKETS ARE FLUSH WITH AND COMMON TO THE FACE OF THE CURTAIN. 